From the southern deserts to snow-capped peaks and northern beaches, the Route of Caravans offers adventurous travellers a breathtaking journey through Morocco’s lesser-known landscapes.
While navigating a rugged canyon in the High Atlas Mountains, a cheerful man dressed in a long white robe and clutching a shepherd’s staff greeted the cyclists. He pointed over his shoulder toward the distant road, explaining that the trail ahead was as rough as the one behind them. His donkey trotted beside him, embodying the timeless spirit of the route.
“No route, no route!” he said with a smile, gesturing to the terrain the cyclists were pushing their bicycles across. One of the travellers responded in French, joking that there was no way back. Although the trail in front was rugged and unpaved, it was part of a newly established bikepacking route, the Morocco Traverse.
The cyclists had just embarked on the 837-kilometre adventure, the second segment of a recently completed two-part cycling trail that stretches across Morocco from the southwestern town of Tiznit to the northern port city of Tangier. Since the northern leg’s digital maps appeared on the adventure-cycling platform in late 2024, it has attracted off-road cyclists eager to wind, climb, and explore through Morocco’s wild and remote regions.
Travelers traverse ancient caravan routes once traveled by camels and shepherd paths used by the indigenous Amazigh communities, who have inhabited the land for roughly 20,000 years. This route embodies a shared dream among a small group of adventurous international cyclists: to chart a path through Morocco’s most untouched and seldom-visited areas, revealing a side of the country few tourists ever see.
+ There are no comments
Add yours